Groupsourced New Years Resolutions

A little something I posted on ColumbusUnderground.com:

I was thinking this afternoon a bit about New Years Resolutions. No one ever keeps them. And it seems like no one is ever really creative with them to begin with when they come up with them (doesn’t everyone want to lose weight)?

So instead of individual efforts that fall by the wayside… what about group efforts that can be discussed here with stories, encouragement, and ideas? How can we all be better people in 2008 and make a better Columbus as a result?

My initial thought is to come up with 12 different monthly “challenges” and complete them back to back. This way it keeps the idea fresh and won’t be totally exclusive if you’d like to participate in one, but not another (not everyone needs to lose weight).

Here’s a few of my monthly challenge ideas:

- The Buy Local Challenge : Buy everything from local stores, local restaurants, local shops, and locally-made goods.

- The Transit Challenge : Don’t drive your car for a month. Instead you’ve got to use COTA, Biking, Walking, and other alternative modes of transportation for a full month.

- The Green Challenge : Only purchase recyclable products and recycle them. Your trash shouldn’t contain any plastics, metals, or papers all month.

What else? Is anyone on board with me? Who wants to see what we can call do when faced with a bit of a challenge in 2008?